U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was "threatening and blackmailing" the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) with the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, the spokesperson of the Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Calling the act "domestic legislation" of the United States, the spokesperson said recent remarks by some American politicians regarding Hong Kong's legislative and judicial bodies amounted to blatant interference in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs.
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While China's central government and the SAR government are leading the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak and working towards Hong Kong's economic recovery, Pompeo and some other U.S. politicians were attempting to beautify and exonerate mobsters taking part in illegal assemblies, the spokesperson said, adding that the politicians do not want to see reconciliation in the city.
Violent radicals attempt to break and enter the Legislative Council building in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2019. /Xinhua
China has unswerving determination to protect national sovereignty, security and development interests, implement the "One Country, Two Systems" policy and oppose any external force in interfering in Hong Kong's affairs, the spokesperson stressed.
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Pompeo said on Wednesday the recent treatment of activists in Hong Kong makes it harder to assess whether the territory remains highly autonomous, a requirement for special treatments the city gets under the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.
(Cover: Aerial view taken on June 19, 2016 shows the scenery in Hong Kong, south China. /Xinhua)